Red Maple

chapter 1: river of blood

MAPLESHADE TURNED TAIL and fled at the scene. She had thought about it for many moons and had decided that she could never allow herself to fall for a cat-like Appledusk. The handsome light brown tom was not worth risking everything for, and she was more convinced when she saw him aimlessly flirting with that reddish-brown tabby she-cat, Reedshine, from across the river at Sunningrocks. 

He hadn't noticed Mapleshade watching from the treeline. She had come to tell him that they were done and that they should be with cats from their own Clans, but she didn't have to say it, he was already moving on without even telling her! She was angry. Not because he was with another she-cat and she was jealous, but because if she were still in love with him, he would have manipulated her while being mates with another cat.

The tortoiseshell was glad that she no longer had to risk everything to meet with Appledusk. He was a mouse-brain and a fox-heart!

She finally reached the camp where cats were bustling around the clearing. The deputy, a dark brown striped tabby tom named Beetail, was organising patrols when he spotted Mapleshade across the clearing.

"Hey, Mapleshade," he greeted with a purr. "Can you patrol by Twolegplace alone today? I would send you with more warriors but I sent most out to other borders and Deerdapple is training Nettlepaw today."

The tortoiseshell, her anger for Appledusk subsiding, nodded and turned her tail to leave the camp.

It didn't take long for Mapleshade to reach the Twolegplace border. She padded through the treeline, rubbing herself against every tree and plant to mark her territory. The breeze was gentle against her medium-length fur and the dirt was soft and damp under her paws. That's what you get when its Greenleaf.

Everything was peaceful until she heard a shriek of pain ahead. Her fur stood on end as she widely stared around. Her amber eyes landed on two cats up ahead. There was a massive tom, the biggest cat she's ever seen, with tiger-like fur and sharp baring teeth. He stood above a smaller brown cat with wide green eyes and a gaping mouth gurgling blood. Her fur bristled in horror when she realised that the tiger-furred tom had torn out the kittypet's throat, tearing off its green collar in the process.

Blood dripped down from the massive tom's jaws as he smirked down at the dying body. Mapleshade took a hesitant step back, which a twig snap in two. She grimaced at the noise and pinned her ears against her head in fear when she saw the tom snap his head in her direction. His eyes were like fire, full of malice and bloodlust as he scanned her smaller form.

He let out a low hiss and growl, approaching the ThunderClan warrior with unsheathed silver claws that glinted in the sunlight.

Mapleshade couldn't move. She was much too afraid to. The tom's aura screamed violence, horror and danger. He seemed so powerful as his muscles rippled under his strange, battle-scarred fur. His shoulders and head were broad, he had long legs and a sweeping tail that would drag behind him if he wasn't lifting it above the ground.

When he was nose-to-nose in front of her, she couldn't help but breathe in his scent. He smelt like coppery blood, the forest and smoke from a fire. It was an unexpected nice smell, she thought he'd smell like crow-food and death.

"And who are you?" he growled, his voice smooth yet had a rough edge to it. She shivered when his whiskers brushed against her cheek as he circled her. His pawsteps were so light, which was surprising. They were large and she thought that a rabbit could hear him from a mile away if he stomped.

"M-My name is... is Mapleshade," she choked out, looking at the dead body of the kittypet a few paces ahead. The body seemed so small and pitiful from where she stood. The tom tensed and let out a growl.

"Clan cat," he muttered and Mapleshade looked up. She could see him much more closely now. He had a deep scar across his muzzle, a thin scar across his eye and another one over his mouth. One of his ears seemed to be torn away, leaving only some poking up skin left. There was a healed gash across his throat, many other scars across his flank and a long one across his shoulders.

She couldn't help but speak. "Why did you kill that kittypet?" Mapleshade shut her mouth. You mouse-brain!

The tom's whiskers twitched, but she didn't know if it was annoyance or amusement. "Would you ask a badger why it kills a cat?" he asked and Mapleshade tensed. "No."

The tiger-furred tom circled her again before sitting in front of her, licking the blood away from his white chest. "I'm Redriver," he said between licks. "What are you doing here, Clan cat?"

"I'm patrolling the border," Mapleshade replied, her voice less shaky. "Why is your name Redriver? It sounds like a Clan name."

Redriver paused, his eyes darkened with what seemed disgust, anger and sorrow all in one. "It means a river stained with the blood of my enemies. My mother named me."

He bristled then. "As for it sounding like a Clan name—" he sunk his claws into the earth –"my grandfather was Ripplestar of ShadowClan and my grandmother was a RiverClan medicine cat, Kinktail. That's how I know how to fight and kill like one of your warriors. I also learned all the healing herbs from my mother, who learned it all from my grandmother."

Mapleshade was in shock. This murderer had Clan blood? Then why wasn't he in a Clan himself? Deciding not to ask – not wanting to push the killer tom – she then said, "I'm a ThunderClan warrior."

Redriver's ear twitched and he looked past Mapleshade. He spun around then and padded over to the dead kittypet, picking him up by the scruff. He dragged the body over to the fence and with one spring, he jumped swiftly over the fence with ease.

Mapleshade then heard a rustle and looked behind her. She saw Nettlepaw, the ginger tom with green eyes, holding a mouse in his jaws. "Hi, Mapleshade!" he squeaked. "What are you doing?"

Mapleshade pushed the thoughts of Redriver away, looking the other direction from the patch of drying blood ahead. "Patrolling. Where's Deerdapple?"

"I'm having my assessment today," he mewed and Mapleshade's eyes widened. "Then what're you talking to me for? Go on, you're meant to be concentrating, not dawdling!"

Nettlepaw raced away back into the forest and Mapleshade turned around and gasped. On top of the fence was Redriver, staring at her with fire in his amber gaze.

She turned around and disappeared into the forest without looking back.